SUDDEN CARDIAC ARREST Resolution passes Legislature

Tuesday

Jul 9, 2013 at 2:30 PM

The following message may have traction with you as parents and grandparents. Two years ago my now 20 year old daughter suffered Sudden Cardiac Arrest. An elite athlete at Tower Hill, she graduated with 15 Varsity letters. She was 1st Team All State Soccer 3 years running and scored the only goal in Tower's first ever soccer championship in 2010.

Greer Firestone

The following message may have traction with you as parents and grandparents. Two years ago my now 20 year old daughter suffered Sudden Cardiac Arrest. An elite athlete at Tower Hill, she graduated with 15 Varsity letters. She was 1st Team All State Soccer 3 years running and scored the only goal in Tower's first ever soccer championship in 2010.

On June 6 2011, two days after graduation, she collapsed on her Mom's bed. The NCC EMS paddled her 6 times. She stopped breathing on the way to Christiana. 10 days later a defib/pacemaker was implanted.

I went to Sen Cathy Cloutier and she and Sen Bethany Long-Hall created - and passed - the SCA Resolution (The Grace Firestone Resolution). Over the next months these two legislators, myself and the Director of the State Athletic Assoc (DIAA) will join together to create a law for passage in Jan. Perhaps you have been touched by SCA. It is the #1 killer of student athletes. 1 in 3 deaths outside the hospital are SCA.

Our law will mandate training and education in SCA for coaches and referees. Our aim is to create legislation to be a model nationally. I've done a bit of research. Surprisingly few states have any regulations at all.

Additionally, I plan to mount an initiative for EKG's for all kids in DE before they hit the playing field. Another stunning fact: 1 out of every 100 kids who have been given an EKG have a potentially fatal heart problem.

If any of Delawareans wish added info or to be put on a mail list, please advise Again, this does NOT have the force of law. But...stay tuned in January!

Greer@GreerFirestone.com

SPONSOR:

Sen. Hall-Long & Sen. Cloutier

DELAWARE STATE SENATE 147th GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO.

RECOGNIZING SUDDEN CARDIAC ARREST (GRACE FIRESTONE RESOLUTION).

WHEREAS, Almost 400,000 people in the US suffer from SCA each year yet less than 10% survive; and 1

WHEREAS, Nationwide, Sudden Cardiac Arrest is the number one cause of death of student athletes while 2

participating in athletic practices and contests; and 3

WHEREAS, 1 out of 100 student athletes has a potentially fatal heart condition; and 4

WHEREAS, In children and adolescents, the causes of SCA are varied and include heart conditions that result 5

from abnormal heart structure or function, electrical abnormalities, and outside factors such as a sudden blow to the chest or 6

drug use; and 7

WHEREAS, Educating parents, students, coaches and officials about the symptoms and risk factors of sudden 8

cardiac arrest is an important factor in helping prevent and respond to a SCA event; and 9

WHEREAS, Awareness of SCA symptoms and knowledge of family medical history is important to proper 10

screening and identification of at-risk student athletes; and 11

WHEREAS, Victims of SCA can be brought back to life by providing CPR and early defibrillation with an 12

automated external defibrillator (AED); and 13

WHEREAS, Survival rates of SCA victims decrease by 10% with each minute of delay; and 14

WHEREAS, Emergency Action Plans and ready access to an AED is critical to saving victims of SCA. 15

NOW, THEREFORE: 16

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the 147th General Assembly of the State of Delaware, the House of 17